He made haste to divert the conversation into a safer channel.
"Well," he said slowly, "seeing that you and I were intended to
work together, it seems to me to be a most extraordinary
coincidence our meeting like that last night..."
"It was more than a coincidence," said Barbara, shaking her dark
brown head. "Forty-eight hours ago I'd never heard of you, then
the Chief gave me a telegram to send to your Divisional General
summoning you home, after that he told me that we were to work
together, and a few hours later I run into you in Nur-el-Din's
dressing-room..."
She broke off suddenly, her gray eyes big with fear. She darted
across the room to an ormolu table as which her handbag was
lying. With astonishment, Desmond watched her unceremoniously
spill out the contents on to the table and rake hastily amongst
the collection of articles which a pretty girl carries round in
her bag.
Presently she raised herself erect and turning, faced the
officer. She was trembling as though with cold and when she
spoke, her voice was low and husky.
"Gone!" she whispered.
"Have you lost anything" Desmond asked anxiously.
"How could I have forgotten it?" she went on as though he had not
spoken, "how could I have forgotten it? Nearly twelve hours
wasted, and it explains everything.
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